The present invention relates to a method of and an arrangement for growing microorganisms, with simultaneous separation and withdrawal of products of metabolism by ultrafiltration.
Methods and arrangements of the above mentioned general type are known in the art. One known arrangement for growing microorganisms is disclosed in the EP-A-7133. In this arrangement, separation and withdrawal of products of metabolism produced during growing are performed with the aid of a diaphragm filter located in the interior of the fermenter. The diaphragm filter, which is formed as a filter candle, is mounted inside a guide pipe. This arrangement has an improved service life as compared with the previously used arrangements. However, in cases of various media, clogging of the diaphragms and thereby decrease of the filtrate flow in the course of the process take place. This output reduction has evidently the condensation polarization as cause, which cannot be sufficiently overcome by the flow alone.